Forum Shows Ramifications Following Delphi, Civic Center Decision

Top Oak Creek officials tried once again Monday night to convince Oak Creek aldermen, school board members and an audience of about 70 community members that the city should move the and to the former , 7929 S. Howell Ave. 

The comments came at a public forum Monday night to discuss the options and implications of the decision on where the two facilities should be located. 

The issue could finally come to a head Feb. 7, when the Common Council is scheduled to take up the matter during its regularly-scheduled meeting. Officials say a public hearing will be held before a vote is taken.

Not so simple

A move to the Delphi site is complicated, and involves two land swaps that would go like this: 

• The city exchanges the 12-acre Civic Center site at the corner of Puetz Road and Howell Avenue - where the library, city hall, community center and now sit - with the for 50 acres near the corner of Howell and Oakwood Road. The Civic Center site could then potentially be used for a future expansion of .

• The city then exchanges those 50 acres with Wispark, the developer and owner of the Delphi property, for seven acres at the Delphi site to build the city hall and library. The city would also get $725,000 from Wispark to make up the difference in value between the Oakwood and Delphi properties. That was previously negotiated with Wispark. 

City officials including Mayor Al Foeckler and City Administrator Gerald Peterson painted that option as the most financially-beneficial for Oak Creek and the one that will lead to the best development at Delphi.

They argued the Delphi site will have a higher value and be a better draw with those buildings on it; that building at the Delphi site is cheaper; and opening up the Oakwood property to private development would lead to more jobs and an increase in the tax base.

Other options in play

However, not everyone agrees that civic components are necessary for a successful Delphi redevelopment project, or that it's as financially rosy as presented.

If not that, the other options on the table are keeping city hall and the library where they are, or moving only the library to Delphi.

If the buildings are kept at the Civic Center, land ownership stays status quo and the city gets a $125,000 return by selling the seven acres at Delphi, according to the presentation.

If only one is moved, the school district could decide to whether to keep or exchange the Oakwood property for the Civic Center site.

No matter the option, Peterson said costs will be paid largely through We Energies-related money - the company is contractually obligated to invest $20 million in Oak Creek, and the city also receives $3.3 million per year in public utility aid - and a tax-incremental financing district. A TIF allows a developer or municipality to borrow money and repay the loan through the increased property taxes.

"No new taxes are necessary for these projects," Peterson said.

The entire presentation and financial estimates can be found on the city's website.

School impacts

The nearly two-and-a-half hour forum on Monday, held at Oak Creek High School, brought together the Common Council and School Board under one roof.

Oak Creek-Franklin school officials have said they are open to the possibility of swapping the Oakwood property for the Civic Center site, but have not made any official declarations.

School Board member Brian Kaminski said at the forum that the city's preferred option, in which the school district would receive the Civic Center site, is the one that would be the "most workable" for the school district.

But another School Board member, Mark Verhalen, who is also running for mayor, disagreed and added the board and district have not come to a definitive decision. Verhalen also criticized city officials for "misleading" the public at the forum by presenting "half truths" - particularly with estimates on construction costs and tax base impacts - in an attempt to move that option forward.

Reaction

Other reaction to the proposals was mixed. Some voiced support for a better library, some called for the question to be put to referendum and others wondered about the long-term ramifications on the high school.

"I do really like the library system. I would like to see it grow greatly because it is rather lacking," resident Mary Turner said. "But I would like to keep it close to the schools. At that Delphi location, it seems a little difficult for children to get there."

Oak Creek resident Melissa Hakes said the Civic Center site won't be big enough for a high school expansion. While it's 12 acres total, five of those acres are used by the which is not moving.

"As I got to experience high school for the first time with my freshman this year, I can already tell you that we're going to be out of space," she said. "It's already overcrowded. You're going to have to do something, and you're not going to be able to do it on seven acres. I highly recommend that you keep your 50 acres (at Oakwood)."

Stay up to date and learn more about the Delphi redevelopment project at Oak Creek Patch's Delphi page.